Metabolism in time and space – exploring the frontier of developmental biology

Abstract

Despite the fact that metabolic studies played a prominent role in the early history of developmental biology research, the field of developmental metabolism was largely ignored following the advent of modern molecular biology. Metabolism, however, has recently re-emerged as a focal point of biomedical studies and, as a result, developmental biologists are once again exploring the chemical and energetic forces that shape growth, development and maturation. In May 2017, a diverse group of scientists assembled at the EMBO/ EMBL Symposium 'Metabolism in Time and Space' to discuss how metabolism influences cellular and developmental processes. The speakers not only described how metabolic flux adapts to the energetic needs of a developing organism, but also emphasized that metabolism can directly regulate developmental progression. Overall, and as we review here, this interdisciplinary meeting provided a valuable forum to explore the interface between developmental biology and metabolism.

TOR signaling in plants: conservation and innovation

“…Emerging evidence supports the notion that signaling and metabolic networks are intertwined and play instructive roles in developmental programs and responses to environmental changes and stresses (Krejci and Tennessen, 2017;Li and Sheen, 2016). Remarkably, the protein kinase target of rapamycin (TOR) has been shown to act in the center of such networks in all eukaryotes, from unicellular yeasts and algae to multicellular plants, animals and humans (Ben-Sahra and Manning, 2017;Dobrenel et al, 2016a;González and Hall, 2017;Saxton and Sabatini, 2017;Xiong et al, 2013;Xiong and Sheen, 2015).…”

The Importance of TOR Kinase in Plant Development

“…Mounting evidence suggests that integrated signaling and metabolic networks play an instructive role in developmental programs and responses to environmental changes and stresses (Li and Sheen, 2016;Krejci and Tennessen, 2017). Remarkably, the TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR) protein kinase has been identified as a "master regulator" of such networks in all eukaryotes, from single-celled yeast and algae, to complex multicellular organisms such as plants, animals and humans (Dobrenel et al, 2016).…”

Revisiting the role of metabolism during development

“…These pioneering early studies, however, suffered from two constraints: the description of metabolic activities remained coarse grained and, importantly, a mechanistic insight into the cause-consequence relationship and evidence for an instructive function of metabolism remained largely elusive. As we gain a better understanding of not only the intricacies of metabolic pathways, but also their integration with other cellular processes, it is an exciting prospect to now link metabolic and developmental programs at a more mechanistic and functional level (Krejci and Tennessen, 2017). In the following sections, we discuss concrete examples that touch upon two key questions.…”

“…However, recent studies have shed new light on previously unrecognized roles of central carbon metabolism in the regulation of specific biological processes, such as cell signaling, proliferation and differentiation (Pavlova and Thompson, 2016;Shyh-Chang et al, 2013). This emerging view is stimulating metabolic research in the field of developmental biology, which is uncovering the key roles of glucose metabolism during embryonic development in a range of species (Gandara and Wappner, 2018;Krejci and Tennessen, 2017). Considering the intimate connection between metabolism and the environment, these lines of research also have the potential of yielding a better understanding of developmental and phenotypic plasticity, which relies on the integration of both genotype and environmental cues.…”